As we near the 20th Street and 5th Avenue intersection, the tall sculpted
towers of Immanuel Lutheran Church immediately capture our eyes. Just to
the west of the church is its 1912 parsonage, and, next to that, is the site
of the historic Lutheran School and Hall. We thank an Argus/Dispatch reader
who submitted the vintage postcard of that school that we now share with our
readers.
Immanuel Lutheran Church - also called the German Lutheran Church - has been
involved in education throughout its history. The congregation has
maintained a school since 1856. After the church moved to its 20th Street
and 5th Avenue location (there was an earlier church before the current
church was built in 1896), it built a new school at a cost of $4300 in 1885.
That school, at 428 20th Street, was a 2-1/2 story brick building with an
exposed stone basement and a front facing gable roof. It served as a school
until our postcard school was built. Even after it was no longer used for
classrooms, the church used the building as a residence for custodians and
staff. Finally, in 1969, it was demolished for parking space.
By 1900, the 20th Street school was overcrowded with 115 students, so the
congregation decided to add two new schools - one on the west side of Rock
Island and one on the east side to accommodate Moline Lutherans. The west
side school was located on the corner of 10th Street and 8th Avenue in a
former grocery store and the east school was in a house known as the Raisch
property on 38th Street. A 1966 Argus article shows the former east school
at 1409 38th Street just before it was demolished. The small 1-1/2 story frame
house was identified as being used by Immanuel Lutheran until a new school
on 36th Street (between 12th and 14th Avenues) was built. The article also
noted that in 1900 there were only three houses "on the hill" so that the
soon-to-be demolished building must be at least 100 years old. The west end
school may have also changed sites, to a spot on 8th Street between 8th and
9th Avenues.
But all these old schools were soon to be history. On August 11,1918, the
cornerstone was laid for a brand new school to accommodate all students.
That school, depicted on our postcard, was designed by local architects Olof
Cervin and Benj. Horn in what could be termed an "Educational Gothic" style.
The construction proceeded rapidly through the fall and winter, in time for
dedication ceremonies on Sunday, January 26, 1919. The dedication was a
daylong affair with two separate events. A morning celebration was held in
German (remember, this was the German Lutheran Church), while the afternoon's
events and presentation were in English. The church choir and pupils
provided hymns and songs while local and visiting pastors gave sermons and
speeches.
After the morning presentation, the congregation marched from the church to
the new school, where contractor H. W. Horst formally presented the school
keys to pastor Rev. Wilhelm. After Rev. Wilhelm unlocked the doors, the new
building was open for inspection. It was designed to accommodate every
imaginable church and school need. A double bowling alley in the lower
level basement provided a home for the congregation's bowling league. The
double height third story held an auditorium-gymnasium with a balcony as
well as a kitchen. There was a stage located on the north wall. This
well-planned school served the congregation for nearly 40 years.
By 1953, the school had once again outgrown its space as it reached its
capacity of 150 students. After years of fundraising and construction, a
new and larger building at 3300 24th Street was occupied in October of 1957.
Then, just as the church was obtaining bids to convert the old school to a
Sunday school, a devastating fire struck. On March 17, 1958, a 9 pm alarm
summoned firefighters. They responded by extinguishing the blaze with an
estimated 150,000 gallons of water. The source of the fire was unknown, but
it was speculated that lint had somehow been accidentally ignited. Church
bowlers and their pinsetter, who had been practicing in the basement lanes,
were startled at the beginning of the fire when smoke began seeping into the
basement.
In the aftermath of the fire, it was found that the third floor of the
building where the fire started was totally destroyed. Water damage to the
rest of the building rendered the condition such that the possibility of
total demolition was strongly considered. Damage to the structure was
reported at $75,000, and its lost contents were valued at another $3000.
Even the parsonage next door suffered damage because it was sited so close
to the school. The pastor and his family had been evacuated during the fire.
Although the school building was partially rebuilt for Sunday school and
meeting rooms, it had lost its third story. Fortunately all of the
architectural details that could be salvaged after the fire - the "towered"
front entrance, the stonework sign, the patterned brick - were saved during
its rebuilding. Unfortunately, the loss of the third story was significant.
Nearly half of the school's total height was lost, greatly changing its
proportions and compromising its appearance.
About twenty years ago, the school was rented to Project NOW, although it
was still used for Sunday school. Recently, Project NOW left, leaving a
vacant and unneeded building. A reluctant decision was made to demolish the
old school. For its many past students, the demolition is a sad occasion,
with memories reduced to rubble.
(The school was demolished in 2001)
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